


Trust

by drwhogirl



Series: Emma Caffrey [7]
Category: White Collar
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:47:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25453354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drwhogirl/pseuds/drwhogirl
Series: Emma Caffrey [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1780558
Kudos: 18





	Trust

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cheride](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheride/gifts).



The moment Neal saw Emma sat on the floor, he rushed to her side and started trying to undo her shackles. He stopped when he saw how the girl was flinching away from him.

“Emma?”

“Please don’t touch me.” Emma’s voice was barely above a whisper.

“I need to touch you Ems. So I can undo your cuffs and take you home.”

“I don’t want to go home.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“I don’t want to go home with you.”

Neal’s heart broke when he heard those words. His little girl didn’t want to be near him, after being separated for a month. After spending a month with Keller, Neal realised. Keller who would do anything to hurt him, including poisoning his daughter’s mind against him. “Alright.” Neal told her gently, trying not to let his hurt show. “Would you like me to get Uncle Peter instead?” Emma nodded and Neal got to his feet to get Peter.

“Where’s Emma?” Peter asked, surprised to see Neal was alone.

“She… she doesn’t want me near her.” Neal explained, cracks beginning to show in his calm facade. “She wanted me to come and get you.”

Peter placed a reassuring hand on Neal’s shoulder. “It’s alright Neal. I’ll talk her round.”

Apparently, talking Emma round wasn’t as easy as Peter had expected because she wound up insisting that she spend the night with the Burkes. When they got to the house, she went straight to bed. The following morning, she didn’t leave her room until Elizabeth had left with Max and Hailey. Even then, she only left to raid the fridge.

“Emma.” The sound of Peter’s voice made her jump. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m fine.”

“Then why aren’t you at home?” Peter asked, gesturing for her to sit opposite him at the table. Emma sat down but didn’t answer the question. “What did Keller say?”

“He told me that dad… That he hurt people… that he… that people died…”

“Emma, you should know your dad doesn’t hurt people. I assume he gave you some specifics to make you believe it.” Emma nodded. “Like?”

“He said that he killed a curator when trying to steal a Van Gogh and that he killed a fence called James Nolan in Berlin. I know he stole the Van Gogh, he told me about it. I also know he didn’t tell me everything. Who knows what he’s been keeping from me. From both of us.

“He told me about the Van Gogh.” Peter reached into the cardboard box next to him and pulled out a file. “This is your dad’s file. It includes follow ups on everything he was rumoured to have done, all of which he confirmed to me.”

“When?”

“One night when you were younger, I gave him the chance to tell me everything. Sun down, to sun up, everything he has ever done. Check the blue tab.”

Emma flipped to the page with the blue tab. It featured interviews with the curator of the museum, security plans and a death certificate for the curator. Who had died of a heart attack the year before. “What about Nolan?”

“I remember reading about that in the newspaper. At the time, your father was in Italy. He was planning to rob the Sistine Chapel.”

Emma smiled weakly at that. “So he hasn’t hurt anyone?”

“No. At the very least not intentionally.” Peter paused. “Emma, your father has a lot of secrets, but he’s a good man. Anything he hasn’t told you has been for a reason, because he loves you.”

“What if he’s not?”

“What if he’s not what? A good man? He is Emma, I can assure you.”

“That’s not what I mean. What if he isn’t my father?” Peter wasn’t sure how to respond to that at first.

“What do you mean? Where would you get that idea?”

“Keller showed me all of these pictures of him and… my mum… in bed… they were dated from around the time I would have been…”

“I see. So he didn’t show you anything concrete like a DNA test?”

“No he… what do you mean a DNA test?”

Peter paused before replying. “When we first took you in, the Bureau wanted a paternity test done on you. To ensure your sudden appearance wasn’t some elaborate con your dad was working. Emma if he wasn’t your father he would have gone back to prison for kidnapping and you would have gone into care.”

“So he’s definitely my dad.”

“He’s definitely your dad.”

“Not Keller?”

“Not Keller.”

“Uncle Peter?”

“Yes?”

“What’s in the box?”

Peter moved the box to be in front of the girl. It had the name Neal Caffrey written in sharpie on one side. “Everything I collected when I was trying to find your father.”

Emma got to her feet and started pulling things out of the box, cards and corks and sketches. All manner of different things that Peter had collected in his search for Neal. “You really kept all of this?” Emma asked, holding up a cork.

“Of course I did, it’s evidence.”

“If it’s evidence, why isn’t it at the FBI?”

“Because sometimes I like to work from home.”

“So do you have boxes for everyone you caught? Can I see Hagan’s box? Or Keller’s?”

“Those are at the FBI.”

“So why is dad’s the only one you have here?” Emma paused, a grin spreading across her face. “It’s like the box I have for stuff from Tommy!”

“Who’s Tommy?”

“A boy at my school I have a crush on.” Emma told him, as if it was obvious.

“Are you trying to suggest… I do not have a crush on your father!”

“But you have a box. Do you have a box for Auntie El?”

“Of course not. She’s never been a criminal.”

“But you kept birthday cards. Birthday cards aren’t evidence.”

“They are if they were sent when I was trying to catch him.”

“Yes, but this one is from last year.” Emma told him, holding up a card from the box.

“That one I’ve kept because it’s from you.” Peter told her, hoping she would drop it.

“Really? Because dad drew it, and it doesn’t have my signature in it.” Emma told him, opening the card to reveal it only had Neal’s signature in it.

“You really are your father’s daughter aren’t you.” Peter sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Speaking of, are you ready to go and talk to him now?”

Emma laughed and nodded. “Yeah, I think I am.”

When they arrived at the loft, there was no sign of movement. Neal was sat at the table. He looked like he hadn’t shaved or even moved since the night before. “Dad?” Emma called from the doorway.

“Emma!” Neal got to his feet and moved to go to her but paused, unsure if she was still being wary of him. Emma made the first move instead, running over to him and hugging him tightly.

“I’m so sorry dad.” She mumbled into his chest. “I never should have doubted you. You don’t always tell me everything but I know that you have a good reason.”

“It’s alright, Emma. It’s not like you didn’t have good reason to doubt me.” Neal pointed out as he hugged his daughter tightly.

“So, we agree there should be no secrets between us?”

“Agreed.”

“In which case, do you want to know about Peter’s crush on you?”

Neal laughed. “Oh really? Peter, why did you never say.”

Peter laughed from where he was stood in the doorway. “Thought we promised to keep that between us.” He joked.

“Sorry uncle Peter.” Emma laughed. “We promised no secrets.”

Neal kissed the top of her head. “No secrets. I promise.”


End file.
